


The Bare Facts

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:54:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22208995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Jim's reports always contain only the bare facts
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	The Bare Facts

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'letter'

The Bare Facts

by Bluewolf

Jim's reports were succinct to the point of being as near meaningless as made very little difference. He gave the bare, unembellished facts in as few words as he possibly could. When Simon called him on it, he asked, "What does the DA need? The basic facts, or a twenty page essay describing every detail down to the last letter?"

"With just the basic facts as you describe them, a criminal could walk," Simon growled.

"With just the basic facts, there's no unnecessary detail to cloud the issue," Jim growled back.

The one good thing, Simon supposed, was that Jim was just as succinct when he had to give evidence in court. The lawyers that some criminals had defending them could twist a detailed description of events into something calculated to confuse a jury. Jim tended to answer questions with a straight 'yes' or 'no'. Defense lawyers hated him.

And then Blair entered Jim's life.

Officially an observer, one of the things he 'observed' was the way Jim wrote his reports. It didn't take him long to realize that at least part of the reason for the brevity of those reports was Jim's 'hunt for the letter' style of typing; and so one day he offered to type the report if Jim dictated it.

Jim stared at him for a moment, and Blair chuckled. "Jim, I've been typing things for years. I don't have to search for the letters I want; you're a two-fingered typist, I'm a ten-fingered one." He spared a moment to glance around the bullpen. "You're not the only one, either. You'd think the Police Academy would see the need to give cadets a little basic training in typing, since all police need to submit reports. They wouldn't need the kind of speed someone like Rhonda has, but if they knew where the letters on a keyboard are they wouldn't have to waste twenty-five minutes out of every half hour searching for them.

"So come on." He settled in front of Jim's computer, "Start dictating."

The report was still fairly succinct, but Blair, who had been watching the arrest Jim had made from the passenger seat of the truck, used his speed at typing to add a few details that Jim conveniently forgot to mention.

Blair sent the document to the printer, retrieved it and gave it to Jim, who signed it without actually realizing that Blair had added anything, and handed it in to Simon.

Simon read it, then called Jim back into his office.

"Who wrote this?"

"I dictated it while Sandburg typed it - he's a faster typist than I am."

Simon nodded. "Right - keep on doing your reports like this."

Simon watched Jim leave and cross to his desk. He reread the report, just knowing that Blair had added a few details to the words Jim had dictated. The kid wasn't there all the time... but could he persuade Jim to write his reports by hand, and let Sandburg type them up when he came in? He could use 'fewer typos' as a reason...

Yes. Life was going to be much easier for him while Sandburg was riding along with Detective Ellison!


End file.
